Zach Williams Wins Best Contemporary Christian Album | 2018 GRAMMYs

Zach Williamstook home his first career GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Chain Breaker.

Jan 28, 2018 – 2:25 pm

Williams Wins Best Contemporary Christian Album

His long journey to this honor made a huge stride In 2012 when Willimas decited to move away from the grueling tour lifesettle and settle down in his native Jonesboro, Ark., becoming a worship leader. In this new role his voice as a solo artist emerged, and in 2016 he released the single, "Chain Breaker," which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart and received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. Chain Breaker the album followed with a solid rack of soulful tracks that has listeners testifying that each one has reached their hearts.

Gracing the GRAMMY stage wasn't Williams' first dream, and it didn't come without struggle. As a high school and college basketball player, drugs, alcohol and an eventual ankle injury cut his dreams of sports stardom short. Fortunately, his college roommate had a guitar, and music was there for him in his time of need, and he knew what he wanted to do with his life.

Through a lot of hard work, a new marriage, a new church, and feeling touched by the Holy Spirit while listening to Big Daddy Weave's "Redeemer," Williams was inspired to turn his life around. Now his outreach to others shares both the pain of his own history and his turning point, when he allowed Christ in, breaking the chains of addiction.Now, his GRAMMY-winning album Chain Breaker stands as an apt encapsulation of this personal, spiritual, and musical transformation.

Vying for this, his landmark first GRAMMY win, Williams was in good company from the beginning. The other nominees for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album were Danny Gokey, Matt Maher, MercyMe, and Tauren Wells.

Watch: Dave Chappelle Wins Best Comedy Album

A double-album comprising the legendary comedian, writer, and actor's first full-length comedy specials released in over 12 years, Chappelle's The Age Of Spin & Deep In The Heart Of Texas, respectively, document the performer's views on "Making A Murder," a potential script idea for a Texan superhero, and the four times he met O.J. Simpson. In the month following the specials' dual release, Netflix revealed they were already the most-viewed standup performances ever hosted by the streaming video network.

"The only thing more frightening than watching a Black man be honest in America is being an honest Black man in America” Dave Chappelle at the #GRAMMYspic.twitter.com/jtAtTQzfT7

"I am honored to win an award, finally. And I wanted to thank everybody at Netflix, everyone at 'Saturday Night Live' and everyone at 'Chappelle Show,'" said Chappelle, who also name-checked his family during his acceptance.

Bruno Mars Wins Album Of The Year | 2018 GRAMMYs

Bruno Mars won Album Of The Year for 24K Magic at the 60th GRAMMY Awards. This marks Mars' first-ever win in the Album Of The Year category as a solo artist.

Jan 28, 2018 – 10:50 pm

Watch: Bruno Mars Wins Album Of The Year

The Hawaiian native previously won Album Of The Year for his role as a producer on Adele's 25, which took the honor at the 59th GRAMMY Awards.

His Album Of The Year win was part of an amazing night for Mars, which saw him sweep all of the categories for which he was nominated, including Record and Song Of The Year. 24K Magic also took home Best R&B Album honors.

"Wow, all right first off, to the other nominees in this category ... you guys are the reason why I'm in the studio pulling my hair out, man, because I know you guys are only going to come with the top-shelf artistry and music," said Mars during his acceptance. "Thank you, you guys, for blessing the world with your music. I mean that."

Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit Win Best Americana Album | 2018 GRAMMYs

Just as he did at the 58th GRAMMY Awards two years earlier with his album Something More Than Free, Jason Isbell won both Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song at the 60th GRAMMY Awards. The former award also went to his band, The 400 Unit, for their efforts on their critically-acclaimed album, The Nashville Sound.

Jan 28, 2018 – 5:36 pm

Watch: Jason Isbell Wins Best Americana Album

Coming off his time in alt-country rock ramblers Drive-By Truckers, Isbell's latest GRAMMY wins beef up his already wildly successful solo career. His breakout 2013 album Southeastern showed his chops as a true songwriter's songwriter, and he followed it up with the aforementioned 2015 GRAMMY-winning album, Something More Than Free, which also won Best Americana Album as well as Best American Roots Song for "24 Frames."

The Nashville Sound not only solidified Isbell as one of today's finest songwriters, but name checked and showcased his remarkable band, which includes his talented wife, Amanda Shires, on violin — a successful singer/songwriter in her own right. The couple's romantic and musical compatibility is on full display in the painful and stunning "If We Were Vampires," which also earned Isbell a GRAMMY as a songwriter for Best American Roots Song. All in all, a very big night for Isbell, his band, and the genre he so succinctly represents.

The road to the top was extra daunting this year, considering the other nominees in the category were Gregg Allman's Southern Blood, Brent Cobb's Shine On Rainy Day, Iron & Wine's Beast Epic, and the Mavericks' Brand New Day. The quality and diversity of this crop of nominees is a testiment to what Americana music can represent, include, and accomplish at its finest through authentic, crafty songwriting, and a sound with one foot in the American roots tradition and one foot stepping forward.

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